Results 8,421-8,440 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

School Curriculum (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: An earlier question dealt with textbooks generally. We will consider the proliferation of textbooks but we are not in control of what publishers wish to produce. We try to give some guidelines on what individual mathematics teachers will use but I understand a range of teaching supports are available, including various printed material to assist in the teaching of Project Maths.

School Curriculum (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: During the past three years €8.7 million has been spent on continuing professional development for mathematics teachers to assist in making the transition from the traditional mathematics to Project Maths. We will continue to maintain that support.

School Curriculum (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In regard to Deputy O'Donovan's question, I met the publishers and they have entered into a voluntary code of practice. They will not change textbooks that are less than four years old and will maintain a supply after that point to avoid the chopping and changing to which the Deputy referred. I remind him, however, that schools and individual teachers decide on the books and this is why I...

Third Level Grants (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Students entering postgraduates courses who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant will be eligible to have their postgraduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270 under the student grant scheme. In addition, a limited number of students who would previously have qualified under the standard grant thresholds will qualify for a €2,000 contribution...

Third Level Grants (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Science Foundation Ireland was a very good initiative established by a Minister in the Fianna Fáil-led Administration in the late 1990s and has put an enormous amount of money into science and science-related research. It has benefited in the main, but not exclusively, science graduates who want to do postgraduate work, including doctoral and postdoctoral studies. Substantial funding...

Third Level Grants (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In response to Deputy Lawlor's question, the problem is that financial institutions in the private sector are making loans available but, in many cases, parents or family relatives must go guarantor. Evidently, that mitigates against people without familial support to underwrite the loan. We are looking at ways in which loan finance can be made easier to access. The detailed statistics on...

Teaching Contracts (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I assume the Deputy is referring to the position of teachers who hold a contract of indefinite duration, CID. Under the public service agreement, the Government has given a commitment that compulsory redundancy will not apply to permanent staff within the public service, save where existing exit provisions apply. This commitment was given in the context of redeployment and comprehends...

Teaching Contracts (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand the difficulty. The problem in getting good, permanent employment in secondary schools is that teachers tend to be teachers of subjects. Getting the number of hours required to teach a couple of subjects can be problematic, particularly in smaller schools. It is a topic I will discuss with the employment and management bodies in the area. The same problem does not exist in...

Teaching Contracts (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I will take note of the specific request and provide information on it. Across the employment spectrum in education, the good news for teachers at primary and secondary level is that in the next six years we will have 45,000 extra primary school pupils and 25,000 post-primary pupils. Dividing this by the pupil teacher ratio, approximately 30, gives an indication of the number of teachers...

School Uniforms (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I have previously put on the record of this House my support for any measures that can reduce uniform costs for parents, including measures such as the use of generic type uniforms or the use of sew-on crests or school badges. I have raised this matter informally with the National Parents Council at primary level and I recommend that the primary and post primary National Parents Councils...

School Uniforms (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: And then the child loses it.

School Uniforms (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: This is an issue that arises at the same time every year. I am personally aware of the costs involved as I have a young son and grandchildren. The most appropriate solution is for a school to opt for a generic colour for its uniform, which could be delivered by the large retail units. As it is, uniforms are often not manufactured in this country, so it is not a question of disrupting local...

School Uniforms (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I agree that such an engagement would be useful. Perhaps the Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education would issue an invitation to the relevant management bodies to participate in a discussion on the issue. That could be very helpful.

School Uniforms (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Subject to confirmation - although I am fairly confident it is the case - I have no legal basis for varying the capitation funding available to schools that are delivering the curriculum on the basis of whether or not they offer the type of flexible uniform policy to which the Deputy referred.

Vocational Education Committees (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The agreed redeployment arrangements for CEOs are operating at present. The process will result in the identification of the CEOs designate for 15 of the 16 boards. I expect the process to have reached that point by early August. The CEOs designate will be appointed to the new boards when the Education and Training Boards Bill 2011 is enacted and the boards are established by law. Under...

Vocational Education Committees (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I acknowledge the concern and frustration the Deputy has expressed. Nothing is worse than uncertainty in any aspect of one's life, let alone one's employment. The people involved were all permanent CEOs, with the associated entitlements, and they have co-operated with the Department in regard to the reconfiguration which, as the Deputy observed earlier, amounts to a massive national reform...

School Accommodation (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My priority is to ensure there is sufficient school accommodation to meet projected pupil enrolment increases into the future. The five-year plan, which I announced in March as part of a €2 billion capital investment programme, outlines the major school projects that will commence construction over the duration of the plan. These have been prioritised on the basis of meeting significant...

School Accommodation (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Okay.

School Textbooks (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I am very conscious that the cost of textbooks is a considerable burden on families. I have met with members of the Irish Educational Publishers' Association and impressed on them the need to limit the cost of textbooks and to avoid placing schools and families in a position where textbooks are altered unnecessarily. The association agreed a voluntary code of practice among their members,...

School Textbooks (27 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for bringing this matter before the House. With regard to the home economics curriculum, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, last changed it in 1994. The first edition of Lifewise was published in 2006 and a second edition is being published in 2012. The code of practice provides for no revisions to existing textbooks for four years unless changes...